Is there a difference between a gearbox and a transmission?

You may have heard the terms “gearbox” and “transmission” at one time or another and wondered if they were different terms for the same parts of your vehicle. The truth is that while they’re connected, they do, in fact, reference different parts of systems on your vehicle.

What is a Transmission?

A transmission is the system of gears or pulleys that transfers engine power to the wheels and makes the vehicle move forward or backward.

What is a Gear Box?

A gearbox is a housing containing the gear train for your vehicle. Depending on the type of gearbox, its placement can be found in several areas and locations within the transmission system. There are several types of gearboxes commonly found in contemporary vehicles. These include:

• Manual
• Automatic
• Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
• Automated Manual or Semi-manual
• Dual Clutch

Each type of gearbox performs a different purpose and gives your vehicle different advantages or carries its own disadvantages. Gearboxes are your transmission’s second stage. They contain the gear train, which often has several forward movement gears, one reverse movement gear, and one neutral gear.

What Do You Need to Know?

Gear boxes and transmissions can seem confusing to a lay person who doesn’t study the inner workings of a vehicle. What you need to understand about these parts of your vehicle is that they are interconnected and that a failure or issue in one will often affect the other. If your vehicle demonstrates any of the following signs, it’s time to take it to your mechanic for transmission repair.

Are you hearing strange whining or clunking noises coming from your vehicle? Especially when you shift gears? Maybe you’ve noticed a burning smell or had trouble getting your vehicle in or out of particular gears. Did you find fluid under your vehicle recently? These are all signs of transmission troubles that should be inspected by a qualified technician as soon as possible. Transmission failure can be dangerous if it happens while you’re driving your vehicle.

If you have questions about your vehicle’s transmission or have noticed any of the problems mentioned above, it’s time to take your vehicle to Cooper’s Auto Repair services in Puyallup, WA, for inspection and transmission repair.